The Delaware Park Japanese Garden in Buffalo is part of a special sister-city initiative between Kanazawa, Japan and Buffalo, NY. The garden was originally completed in 1974 and was located on 6 acres along Delaware Park’s Mirror Lake. In the early 1980s the garden was renovated and included a new wider path through the park. Then, in 1994, efforts were begun to once again renovate the garden, including the addition of the stone steps and the "Shinto" gate. There were also efforts to restore and improve the maintenance of the garden in 2008. Although this may sound troublesome, many gardens of this age are subjected to periods of use, neglect, restoration, and continued use. The process is familiar to similar situations I have seen at other gardens.
Along the edge of the lake, the garden reflected a stroll type garden, and offered pleasant views of the lake and the adjacent islands. However, the backdrop in the distance was somewhat disappointing: a roadway and major construction site on the far side of the lake (I left these photos out of the post).
When entering from the front-side area of the Museum, one encounters a Sukiya style woodland stroll, including an authentic looking gate and stone steps leading down to the lakeside.
There were also a series of lanterns throughout the garden, adding to the garden's authenticity.
Viewing Mirror Lake from the western edge, one can get a wonderful view of the entire garden walkway.
Overall, this was a nice garden that was being well managed and offered several types of Japanese garden experiences for the visitor.
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